Little m Long a » birthdays

Take Courage

Ed — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 06:03:15 +0000

I’ve come to believe that in the grand scheme of things, things are just that. Significance attaches to things it oughtn’t and import is lost. Soon nothing is. Loneliness and solitude are unlikely companions among the tumult and the fray that defines daily existence. And yet it is exactly here where both reside. It’s been a while. [...]

Raising the Bar–A Tale of Two Raccoons

Ed — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 17:47:13 +0000

Maybe it’s the magnitude of deeply significant events. Could be my complete lack of mental capacity. Maybe I’m finally manifesting the negative consequences of poor choices at an earlier age. Or maybe I’m just forgetful. The raccoons, Zander and Zella, turned four years old yesterday. Four. Years. Old! Customarily on each childs’ birthday we recount the day of [...]

Yesterday…

Ed — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 04:32:48 +0000

Yesterday, I had a little girl. And then….. And suddenly…. And I love her more and more with each passing day. Happy Birthday, Zoë! share. peace.

A Boy and His Mission

Ed — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 09:00:00 +0000

We were in New Orleans when the call came. We had just finished some coffee and biengets at the Cafe du Monde and were on the levee about to take a stroll down the river walk. I recognized the number and the voice. Fearfully, reluctantly I handed Maura the phone. Silence and what seemed to be hours passed. Then screaming. Lots of screaming. I'm quite certain the people in Algiers just across the Mississippi River from where we were standing heard it. Certainly the hordes of people in Jackson Square heard it.

Until that day, I did not think it possible to garner the collective attention of the crowds of people passing through the French Quarter. I now know.

The tears came. Huge alligator tears released from their caches having been contained some five months, probably longer. She screamed. I smiled. She cried. I laughed. I knew. And now most of Greater New Orleans knew.

We were going to have a boy! Zoë was going to have a baby brother. My wife could have died right then and there and I'm sure would have not counted a single moment in her life more precious. Her dreams certainly were coming true.

I was a bit more reserved. Cautious. You see, I was afraid of what a second child might do to me. What a second child might do to the bond between Zoë and me. I had loved Zoë unimaginably and could not fathom splitting that love between two. Sharing it. It's one of the still unexplained mysteries of parenting. How can you possibly love each child as much as the other without loving any or either the less? I'll give you the answer I was given--YOU JUST DO.

Zane arrived on August 1, 2002 on one of the hottest days of record. It was miserable hot. Undaunted, Zane set about on that day on his mission to affect the life of every single person with whom he came into contact whether it be the surgeon and anesthesiologist in the delivery room whom he peed all over, ...

The Best Things in Life

Ed — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 06:01:00 +0000

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Today Belongs to Zia

Ed — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 18:19:00 +0000

I wasn't quite finished with the mowing when I looked up and noticed my wife walking across the yard to me, arms waving to get my attention....

On this day seven years ago…..

Ed — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 10:30:00 +0000

This entry is adapted from the entry I placed in Zoë's baby book. Today is her seventh birthday and I felt it was appropriate to post it. Please bear with me as I tell the story of my daughter to....my daughter.

You arrived triumphantly into this world 7 years ago today at 3:54pm but your story actually begins much earlier. I was working the night shift and was unwinding after a long shift when your mother arrived home having pulled an all nighter herself and announced, "Come upstairs. Quickly. I'm ...

Allow me to introduce you…….

Ed — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 10:00:00 +0000

The leaves have started in an ever so subtle way to change their colors and break free from the branches that have sustained their tiny lives since the spring when they blossomed forth. No longer are my children able to walk silently through the yard as now leaves crunch loudly beneath their feet. OK, so my kids, to the best of my recollection, have never walked silently through the yard. Remember that scene in Stripes when the platoon is running like ...

Happy Birthday Zia!…..

Ed — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 02:43:00 +0000

I suppose when compared to varied celebratory events that take place in a child’s life during the normal course of a year, the fact that any kid can get excited about commemorating the milestone of having successfully completed another year of existence is absolutely amazing. Let’s start with the two big ones. Gift occasions, that is. You’ve got Christmas and Easter. [...]